Various test equipment developers design different mass interconnection devices for each of their families of automatic test system equipment. Users of the test equipment create unique system mass interconnect device adapters in attempt to physically adapt to the connections of test hardware from one test system to another. These adapters are typically designed only as an afterthought for attached to exterior electrical mass interconnections of the test system. Thus, changing out these one of a kind mass interconnector is a labor and time intensive process. This typical type of approach treats the adapter as a non-integral part of the system design and compromises in both physical connectivity and electrical performance.
Existing mass interconnect adapters usually are attached to an exterior electrical interface portion of the automatic test system hardware. The weight and additional moment arm induce by these mass interconnect adapters cause reliability problems over time. Additionally, an exterior interconnect adapter changes the physical envelop of the automatic test system station and interferes with other items and activities in limit space environments.
There is a need for an interconnection device that allows the automatic test system to be rapidly reconfigured where the interconnection device act as an adapter having a physical, mechanical, and electrical performance of an integral device. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure herein is presented.